Is This An Amazing Discovery?….Or Just Meh?

[jingram058]

Originally Posted by Lucas00

Just the fact the clipping mentions baseball and is from 1860 is special.

That is uncommon, and probably pre dates most board members earliest pieces.

+1

No realistic chance for proof, I would guess. You could try reaching out to Bowdoin College perhaps.

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

Damn! That's pretty cool. Great find!

[Danny Smith]

Whatever it is it’s pretty damn cool.

[bgar3]

I believe This article refers to the first base ball club in Boston, started by John Lowell in 1858. First called the the Bowdoin Square Base Ball Club, the dropped the Square in 1859. Lowell went on tho found the Lowell, Base Ball club, which was on of 3 major teams in the Boston area and he was the one who awarded the silver ball. It is likely the Bowdoin team played under the Massachusetts rules. The headquarters was near Bowdoin street. See John Thorn mlb blog piece.
I can’t tell anything about the image, but it is interesting and probably the person, but just can’t tell at this point. Also, I can’t tell from just the photo whether it is actually an ambrotype, I assume you have checked. I think it was worth taking a shot at if fairly inexpensive.

[h2oya311]

Bruce, your knowledge of early baseball history is astonishing! Cool photo!

[smokelessjoe]

Maybe this is him

[1952boyntoncollector]

Meh

[bgar3]

Thanks Derek, but I wish.
As for Bowdoin, I am pretty certain since the college did not have an actual team until later in the 1860’s.
There is a good page on the team in Lovett’s, Old Boston Boys and the Games They Played. He lists a lineup for the team but from 1863 I think, so after he died.

[Steve D]

From what I can tell from the 1850 and 1860 US federal census', he lived in Gilford, Belknap County, New Hampshire; both years with his parents and siblings. He was born in 1834; so he was 26 when he died.

Steve

[Steve D]

Originally Posted by bgar3

I believe This article refers to the first base ball club in Boston, started by John Lowell in 1858. First called the the Bowdoin Square Base Ball Club, the dropped the Square in 1859. Lowell went on tho found the Lowell, Base Ball club, which was on of 3 major teams in the Boston area and he was the one who awarded the silver ball. It is likely the Bowdoin team played under the Massachusetts rules. The headquarters was near Bowdoin street. See John Thorn mlb blog piece.

According to an article I found in the May 8, 1860 Boston Evening Transcript (on newspapers.com), and on the Protoball.org website, it looks like the Bowdoin Club played under the new (at the time) New York Rules.

Steve

[Tyruscobb]

Meh

[obcbeatle]

I'm sure you already know this but it bears mentioning here, ambro's had a short time frame of production , from 1855 to about 1865, and the images were developed directly on a plate of glass. Dags & tintypes are often enough found in those same types of cases. My experience has been that you sometimes have to remove the photo , very gently! , to confirm a dag vs ambro vs tintype, unless it's obvious in hand, of course. Anyway , beautiful photo , and thank for sharing , ambros can be stunning!

[bgar3]

Steve, you are correct that they shifted to the New York game, around 1860, but were founded earlier to play the Massachusetts Game. (According to Lovett) Their shift was very important for the development of the game and the Lowell’s, Harvard and Tri Mountains, the top teams of the 1860’s all played the New York game. The Lowell’s were named after the John Lowell of the Bowdoin team.